One Broadcast, Many Lives: How On-Demand Consumption Is Transforming the Media

This trend is primarily driven by a technological environment that is already widely established in French households. In 2025, 94% of households had at least one smartphone, 88% had a computer, and 72% had a smart TV smart TV Televisions connected directly (Smart TV) or indirectly (via an operator's box, a connected device such as Apple TV/Chromecast or a games console) to the internet, enabling access to streaming applications in particular. Find out more [1]. In total, 94% of households own at least one screen connected to the Internet. Conditions for accessing on-demand content have never been more favorable.

Against this backdrop, usage is growing rapidly.

When it comes to television, 85% of French people watched at least one program via Preview Preview A way to view a television programme via a catch-up platform before it is broadcast on live TV. Find out more or Catch-up Catch-up Catch-up technology allows TV viewers to watch or rewatch a television programme after it has been broadcast live. Find out more during a given month in the first quarter of 2026—that is, 53.5 million people—up 6% year-over-year. More than 3 French people out of 4 (77%) watch programs on Catch-up every month (+11% year-over-year), a practice now firmly established in their habits. Meanwhile, the adoption of Previews continues to grow: 1 in 4 French people use them every month, up 27% year-over-year[2]. On-demand TV viewership accounts for an average average The average is one of the most important statistical indicators for a set of numbers. By default, it is the arithmetic mean, calculated by adding the values in the set and then dividing that sum by the number of values. Find out more of 7% of the time spent watching television programs, a share that rises to 13% for 15- to 24-year-olds.

Audio is also experiencing strong growth. 44% of French people listen to Podcasts or radio Catch-ups every month, which is 8 percentage points more than in 2023. Native podcasts—those not produced by radio stations (created by independent producers, news publishers, TV networks, etc.)—are also continuing to grow, with 26% of people listening to them each month (+ 10 percentage points in three years), and as many as 43% of 25- to 34-year-olds[3]. Podcasts account for 10% of daily audio program listening[4]. This growth shows that the two universes are not at odds with one another: radio podcasts extend the lifespan of broadcast broadcast A mode of transmission whereby a transmitter sends the same audio and video stream to many receivers within a coverage area. In the context of computer networks, broadcast mode is contrasted with “multicast” and “unicast” modes, which respectively refer to the transmission of a stream to a given group of recipient devices and to a single recipient device. OR : Putting a show or a programme on television or radio. This term refers to a programme that is broadcast live as opposed to on-demand. Find out more programs, while native podcasts enrich the offering with new formats and new styles of storytelling. Podcasts are becoming increasingly independent of their original channels, as social media serves as a powerful platform for these formats: 42% of their monthly listeners (56% of 15- to 24-year-olds) discover them through social media and/or video sites. Another sign of the expansion of podcasts into other formats: 44% of monthly podcast podcast Audio programme in the form of episodes or series available online for listening on demand. This terminology comes from the contraction of the words Ipod and Broadcast... Find out more listeners choose to frequently follow them in their video versions[5].

A new timeline, but still content that brings people together

The extended lifespan of content does not benefit all genres equally.

On television, fiction (series, soap operas, TV movies) overwhelmingly dominates Preview viewing, accounting for nearly eight out of every ten hours spent. Catch-up, meanwhile, also benefits game shows (21% of time spent), which join fiction (40%) among the most-watched genres[6]. 

The data data Digital data Find out more also show that while on-demand viewing is more prevalent on weekends, the most-watched programs via Preview and Catch-up remain predominantly those broadcasted during the week, when more new episodes and fiction programs are offered. The success of a piece of content therefore no longer depends solely on its broadcast time slot, but on its ability to make viewers want to revisit it later.

In audio, this trend is reflected in the diversity of topics chosen. Culture and society programs (41%), news (35%), and history (7%) account for the bulk of downloads, a sign that these Special Interest Channels find their audience audience The set of listeners, viewers, or TV viewers in which each individual is equally weighted, regardless of their listening/viewing duration or frequency of contact. Find out more in a format that offers greater flexibility in listening[7].

Selective consumption

User profiles also illustrate this trend.

In television, on-demand content consumers are younger, more likely to be in higher socio-economic groups, and more often equipped with connected devices than TV Viewers who watch exclusively live. 

In the audio space, radio podcasts are particularly popular among 35- to 64-year-olds, while native podcasts attract more 15- to 34-year-olds. The two universes complement each other and expand the overall audience for on-demand audio.

Above all, non-linear consumption does not mean scattered attention. More than one in two monthly listeners listens to their Podcasts in their entirety. Channel Hopping Channel Hopping Frequently changing television channels. In the narrow sense, this change is done to avoid advertisements (in Canada, they call it “zapping”). Among the different techniques for measuring an audience, only audience monitoring can capture this phenomenon. We can distinguish Flipping (changing the channel during a show) from Switching (changing the channel during a show in order to watch a previously chosen programme). Find out more behavior remains limited, and nearly 3 out of 4 listeners never adjust the playback speed. Podcasts thus emerge as a particularly immersive and engaging format[8].

A New Content Lifecycle

These results confirm that audiovisual content no longer exists within a single timeframe. 

Beyond technological advancements, it is therefore the editorial lifecycle of content that is transforming. Media outlets now accompany audiences before, during, and after the live broadcast of content, across other mediums and sometimes in different formats. By offering greater freedom without sacrificing the unifying power power Indicator for evaluating formats in the context of a media plan. This is the prioritisation of formats according to their target audience. Find out more of live broadcasts, television and audio are demonstrating their ability to adapt to new lifestyles and sustainably extend the value of their content.

This shift is not limited to live content. In television, more than half (53%) of the dramas and films offered on BVoD platforms[9] (TF1+, Arte.tv, M6+, France.tv) were not broadcast on-air during the year, while the content available on these platforms grew by 45% in one year[10]. In audio, native podcasts follow the same logic: they complement Catch-up podcasts by offering content designed specifically for on-demand listening, independent of any Linear Linear This is when a live television program is watched exactly at the time it airs, in timeshifting (control over live TV) or private delay (personal recording). Find out more broadcast. In both universes, catalogs are expanding and content is becoming increasingly independent of live broadcasts.

Beyond new usage patterns, this represents an evolution of the editorial model. Content is no longer simply “caught up on” after it airs; a growing portion of it is now conceived, distributed, and consumed independently of live broadcasts.

Editorial Director: Médiamétrie Communications Team

Editor: Laure Osmanian Molinero

[1] Source: Médiamétrie - Device Barometer Barometer By analogy with meteorology, this term designates any regular measurement that can give an account of changes in audience, opinion, image, etc. Find out more – Years 2023 and 2025 

[2] Source: Médiamat Médiamat Registered name, the Médiamat is the benchmark in television audience measurement in France. Carried out by Médiamétrie, it provides daily audience figures for programmes watched anywhere, on any screen, live, timeshifted, on replay or preview, by all French people aged 4 and over, i.e. 62.4 million individuals. The measurement is based on 2 representative panels : - A first panel of around 12,000 individuals in 5,500 households, comprising : • 5,000 households equipped with home TV sets, each connected to a fixed audimeter, the source of home TV audience measurement • 500 households without home TV sets - A second panel of around 5,000 individuals carrying a personal portable meter to measure TV audiences out of home (all screens) and on Internet screens at home. These audiences are then attributed to the individuals in the first panel by statistical fusion. The Médiamat allows Médiamétrie to monitor audience behaviour on a daily basis, while offering the possibility of both editorial and advertising analysis. Find out more – Base: Ind4+ – All screens, nationwide – Period: Q1 2026 – Coverage Coverage The audience accumulation over a long period (week, month, etc.) This is the number or percentage of people having had at least one contact, of any duration, with the media studied during the time period. It is calculated based on continuous panels. Find out more threshold of 10 consecutive seconds – Médiamat on-demand channels – Preview at D-91 / Catch-up at Day +28

[3] Source: Médiamétrie - Global Audio 2023–2026 – Entire France, ages 15–80

[4] Source: Médiamétrie - Global Audio 2026 – Average time share by service per daily listener listener Someone who is listening to a radio station, an aggregate of stations or a coordination; this generic term can also be used for television (however, its preferred term is "TV viewer"). Find out more , ages 15–80

[5] Source: Médiamétrie - Global Audio 2026 – Monthly listeners of radio Podcasts, Catch-up radio programs, and non-radio native Podcasts – Ages 15–80

[6] Source: Médiamat – Base: Ind4+ – All screens, nationwide – Period: Q1 2026

Preview D-91 / Catch-up D+91

[7] Source: Médiamétrie – EAR > Podcast – January–March 2026 – Ranking of catch-up and/or native podcasts by special interest channel based on download volume, based on 13,710 podcasts

[8] Source: Médiamétrie - Global Audio 2026 – Monthly listeners of radio podcasts, Catch-up radio, and non-radio native podcasts – Ages 15–80

[9] BVOD: content produced by broadcasters and made available for free on-demand and online on their platforms

[10] Source: BVOD Monitor – March 2026 vs. March 2025